Elle is here!!!/Rome

Hey all, don't have much time to post, but elle is here in Firenze visiting me and we met in Rome so I will post more later but for now, here's pictures. 

Start here, 

then look at these, 

then finish with these. 

and this was an art gallery I went to before I left, with really cool architecture. 

Okay I will fill everybody in later on all of the things I have been eating and drinking and doing. I miss everybody lots. Ciao ciao

Pisa and London

Ciao Tutti! Sorry about not posting for a bit, I have been traveling non-stop and I am trying to recover! I spent last weekend in London and stopped on in Pisa on the way. I had to take a train from Firenze station to Pisa Centrale. Then we walked around Pisa for a bit looking for the tower. I got hopelessly lost, of course, and stopped a nice looking italian woman to ask for directions. She told me that she was walking in that direction and would just walk us there! We ended up having a pretty elementary but nonetheless interesting conversation entirely in Italian and then we saw the tower. It is surprisingly leany! 

We were lucky enough to be traveling on a beautiful day and the backdrop for the tower and the baptistry was just beautiful. We took some disgustingly touristy pictures holding the tower up and such (because you just have to). Then I hopped on a train from centro to the aeroporto and then got on my flight to London. 

That night we went to dinner at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen in London. I have to say, I have been wanting to go to this restaurant more than any other, possibly in the world. The philosophy behind this food institution is brilliant and it occupies a space in the world that is full of potential. The resource that this restaurant is and is expanding upon taps into a world of power and hopefully promise. I sat in the dining room, but there is also a bar and a trattoria and they are also open for lunch and dinner. I have to commend them for being able to capitalize on as many shifts as they can and stay packed (the couple next to us told their server they had been trying to get in for 2 years). 

That being said, I was slightly disappointed by the meal. The service was good but slightly inattentive (water glasses empty at times and we were given the amuse bouche once at the beginning of our meal and once in the middle - incorrectly of course) and upon eavesdropping on the server at the table next to us who was doing wine service, he seemed to be, frankly, bullshitting. 

The meal had some highlights though! The amuse bouche was delicious, some combination of ginger, scallops pomegranate, etc. Perfect size and definetely woke up the palate. Next came primi piatti. We had devonshire crab (well seasoned and tasted fresh) and beef carpaccio. The carpaccio had good flavor (balsamic, arugula, cheese) but was sliced too thick which made the texture funny. 

Next came pappardelle with ragu and "bocca di lupo" which is a superstitious phrase meaning "mouth of wolf". Italians say it instead of good luck. Apparently it is also a pasta shape. Well the flavors were amazing, lemon and some sort of nut and deliciousness but the pasta was undercooked! Not al dente. Not cooked. Weird. 

Next came the pork (well cooked, tender) which was a tiny portion. And the Turbot which was paired beautifully with jerusalem artichokes and spinach. But the turbot was too oily and the top was overcooked making it taste like a potato latke. Dessert was good, chocolate semifreddo with blood oranges (soaked in liquor to the point of not being able to recognize them) and lemon tart (perfectly torched sugar on top) with creme fraiche. The end! 

So the next day I saw all of London in a day! Buckhingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Big Ben, House of Parliament, The London Eye, the NAtional Gallery. I think thats it! The National Gallery was my favorite part. I saw The  Ambassadors, which I had been studying two days before in one of my classes, and van Gogh's Sunflowers, and works by Rembrandt, Turner, Hals, etc. It was amazing. And free!!! Then I hopped back on a plane, train, automobile, train, another train, etc. Finally I am home and midterms are coming up and such so I am working hard on that. Elle comes this Friday and we are going to Rome! fun fun! I am planning lots of trips and such. 

On Thursday nights there is a jazz jam at a local cafe/bar between some nyu music students (unbelievable talent) and local florentine musicians. Its super fun and the aperitivo is delicious and the wine is awesome. And, its every thursday. Anyway! I got to run, dinner time (fettucine alfredo with brussel sprouts). Ciao ciao

Switzerland!

Ciao! Sorry it's been a few days since my last post, I was in Switzerland without any internet for the weekend! What an incredible trip! We left Thursday night, rushing around after class to get to the bus by 7pm. As we left the apartment it started pouring (again) and we were rushing past the Duomo with bells ringing, it was sort of cryptic! We eventually got to the station with about 80 other students and piled into two buses, ours didn't have a bathroom, of course. We drove for 8 hours through Italy. We passed Lake Como which was gorgeous - it was night - but it was all illuminated by the gorgeous moon and the mountains were reflecting into the water. This view continued for the rest of our ride! Eventually, around 3 am, we arrived at Balmer's Herberage, the youth hostel we were staying at. We were put into a room with 30 other beds (all full) and that was that! The next morning we woke up and went immediately to reception to book our activities. 

The hostel was nice. Well, it was a typical hostel, except for the fact that it was occupied by mostly American students, which was sort of a let down since part of the hostel experience is meeting other travelers. There was a lot of pure American drunkenness but the days were so much fun that it didn't matter. 

On Saturday the weather was sunny and a little bit cloudy but not too bad. We walked around town a little bit and then we met up with our pilots for paragliding. We hopped in the van and picked up two more girls at the train station then met up with the rest of the pilots at the landing site. We were waiting for everybody to be ready when an older woman (probably in her mid 60s) climbed in the van from just finishing her flight. She was telling us how amazing it was so we got really excited! Next thing we know we are driving up the mountain with the pilots suiting up in boots. So, I guess someone decided I was going first so I put on my pack and got ready with my pilot Robert. He says he will count down from 3 and then I should start walking down the mountain then running. We have to wait for abotu 20 minutes until the tailwind dies down and then he counts down and we run! We were almost immediately lifted off the ground and we were in the air flying! Paragliding is neat because you can steer it so we were going in and our of the mountains and over the lakes and such. It was absolutely beautiful and such an adrenaline rush. Right before we landed Robert asked me if I wanted to do some acrobatics; I obviously said yes so before I know it we were swinging from side to side in the air and then we were spinning downwards, almost like a corkscrew. Then we landed! It was such an incredible way to see Interlaken!! 

After paragliding we went out for crappy Thai food and then called it a night. 

The next day we woke up early and got ready to go snowshoeing. It was raining in Interlaken when we met up with Matt, our guide. He actually got in the car and said "Hello, my name's Matt and I'll be your guide for the day" I didn't think people actually said that for real! He was Australian and he ahd some incredible travel stories. We drove up the mountain and then took a cable car that disappeared into the snowy forests. We started our hike from a restaurant tucked away in the slopes. It was really hard in the beginning but eventually most of us got the hang of the snow shoes and had tons of fun. We opted to go the hard way whenever we could and even though we all fell (even Matt) it was so much fun! At the top of the mountain we got chocolate as a snack and then we headed back down which was just as hard as going uphill! The adrenaline rush was awesome and by the time we finished I was ready to go around again. We took the cable car back down and had to put treads on the truck to get down the mountain since the snowfall had accumulated while we were hiking. 

That night we went out for cheese fondue, locally brewed beer and Rosti, a local dish made of potato hash browns, various meats, with a fried egg on top. 

That night we met these two Australian girls from Adelaide who were traveling for four weeks before going to Thailand. I was super jealous of them because they were just picking places on a map and going there and staying in hostels. Pretty neat way to travel! Anyway, the next morning we met up with them and walked into town. All of the activities were cancelled due to too much snow so we just meandered around. I got chocolate fondue and french fries, of course, at a local restaurant before we jumped on the bus to come home. 

There was 5 feet of snowfall on the way home and a landslide had blocked the tunnel on our original route so we had to take a 2 hour detour. Our trip ended up being 11 hours and we didn't get in until 3 am but it was still worth every minute. Overall it was an incredible weekend. I got to do things I never thought I would be able to and I felt incredible the entire time. Switzerland is a truly unique place. There is no noise allowed on Sundays or after 10 (they are surprisingly strict about this). Every male serves in the military for 7 months when he is 18 and then 6 weeks every year until he is 35 - meaning every grown male in Switzerland is a trained fighter with a complete army kit. And they have never been in a war! They also ALL recycle and compost. The water is so blue it looks like windex. It is an unbelievably serene and calming place. I was relaxed the entire time I was there and I have been writing a lot on my own so it was the perfect place to catch up. 

Tonight we wanted vegetables for dinner as a change from all of the Swiss chocolate we had been eating but all of the stands were closed by the time we got home so I attempted to make risotto. It actually came out really good (reference to my roomates here) and I am really excited! It was a Sangiovese risotto with mushrooms and a side of sauteed fennel. The fennel was a little bit overcooked but I'll get it next time. The risotto was the perfect texture and the flavor was incredible. I was really surprised by how easy it was to make. I think Italian ingredients just makes everything easier. 

Well, that should catch everything up. I am going to Pisa and London this weekend - I am eating at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen and I honestly am so excited I cannot concentrate. I will post again before then. Don't forget to check out pics from the last post and there are most pics of me flying to come, I have to get them from my friend. Mi manchi molto. Ciao!

!!!!!!!

I have no time at all, its 4am. I just got home from Switzerland, heres pics - more to come later with amazing stories to follow!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007945&l=0695a&id=1243530026

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007944&l=8d59a&id=1243530026

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007949&l=268c1&id=1243530026

yeah! theres three!!!!!!

Updating Travel Schedule

Here is my tentative updated travel schedule:

5/2-8/2 Interlaken

12/2 - 15/2 Pisa.London

19/2-22/2 Elle comes to visit!!! (Rome... Anywhere!)

26/2 - 1/3 Parma, Modena

5/3 - 15/3 Spring Break!!!! (Florence, Siena, Venice)

19/3 - 22/3 Lucca (Antique fair this weekend!!!) Bologna

26/3 - 29/3Montefalco (Birthday weekend celebration!)

2/4 - 5/4 Rovereto/Lake Garda (Centennial celebration of the futurist manifesto)

9/4 - 14/4 Greece or Castello Fiorano

16/4 - 19/4 Amalfi Coast/Capri

23/4 - 26/4 Cinque Terre

30/4 - 3/5 Sevilla (Flamenco Festival) 

8/5 - back to the US of A

Okay, we will see how much of that I actually do!